GUELPH POLITICAST #413 - ARCH is Gone But Their Services Remain

HIV/AIDS Resources and Community Health, or ARCH, suddenly announced its closure last week. Losing ARCH impacts a wide variety of people in Guelph and area, whether that’s HIV prevention and care, needle exchanges and harm reduction, or gender affirming and trans healthcare. For these people, ARCH has been the first and only place they could turn for help, so who's going to fill the void?

The short answer is a team-up of the Guelph Community Health Centre and the AIDS Committee Of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area, otherwise known as ACCKWA (pronounced "aqua"). They have big shoes to fill because ARCH was a pretty big part of the local healthcare picture for decades, emerging at a time when there was not just a tremendous stigma for people diagnosed with HIV, but when an HIV infection was almost certainly a death sentence.

ARCH was radical at the time of its inception, inclusive, sex-positive, anti-oppressive, and focused on harm reduction as a first line of defense. And for members of the queer community, ARCH was very important, especially in the realm of gender-affirming care because many trans activists will tell you that even in 2024 it’s hard to find a doctor that will take you as you are and not what you were born as biologically. That's a lot for one group to cover, so we're getting two!

This week, we're joined by Guelph CHC executive director Melissa Kwiatkowski, and ACCKWA executive director Ruth Cameron, who are here to talk about logistics. They'll discuss the changes to the delivery of services formally covered by ARCH, the division of labour between CHC and and ACCKWA, and how new clients needing those services can best access the help they need. Also, we will talk about the ongoing need for HIV/AIDS education and awareness and the growing number of services covered by CHC.

So let's get into the change face of care in Guelph on this week's Guelph Politicast!

If you are a patient receiving HIV or gender-affirming care, or if you take part in the needle exchange programs, you shouldn’t notice too much of a change in your service. But if you have any questions or concerns, you can get in touch with Guelph Community Health at 519-821-6638 or info [at] guelphchc.ca, or you can get in touch with ACCKWA at 519-570-3687 or by visiting their website.

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